Furniture web



Nov. 4, 1969 v. s. MILITANO' 3,476,169

v FURNITURE WEB Filed Jan. 2e, 1968 ATTORNEY United States Patent OM U.S. Cl. 160-327 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A furniture web, such as a seat, backrest or footrest, includes a pair of transversely-spaced parallel longitudinal support members and a exible thermoplastic tube wound in a flat Spiral about the support members to form longitudinally-spaced successive convolutions having upper and lower segments. A pair of transversely-spaced longitudinal thermoplastic bands are positioned between the upper and lower legs of the convolution and are heatsealed to the confronting walls thereof and the upper and lower faces of the tube are heat-sealed to each other in areas coinciding with the bands and at spaced points thereby to delineate passages providing communication between sections ofthe tube on opposite sides of said sealed area.

Background of the invention The present invention relates generally to improvements in articles of furniture and it relates particularly to an improved furniture support web such as a seat, backrest or footrest.

It is conventional in many types of outdoor furniture such as chairs, lounges, settees and the like to provide a frame which may be rigid or collapsible and includes longitudinal side web support members and to secure a web to these support members to provide a seat structure, backrest, legrest and other sections. These webs are commonly of a synthetic organic thermoplastic because of its weather-resistant properties and they are frequently formed of nautically interlaced woven plastic monoflament bands which are joined at their ends to corresponding frame member legs. The outdoor plastic furniture webs of the above nature possess numerous drawbacks and disadvantages. They are dilicult and relatively expensive to assamble and apply to the furniture support frame; they are unreliable and subject to rapid wear and deterioration; they are usually uncomfortable and otherwise leave much to be desired.

Summary of the invention It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved article of furniture.

Another object of the preesnt invention is to provide an improved web structure for furniture and the like.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved web structure which is highly advantageously employed as seats, backrests, footrests and the like in outdoor furniture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved seat and backrest web structure which is soft, resilient, strong and very comfortable.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an article of the above nature characterized by ruggedness, low cost, versatility, adaptability, and ease of assembly and application.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying dravm'ng which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the pro- 3,476,169 Patented Nov. 4, 1969 vision of a support web comprising a pair of transverselyspaced longitudinally-extending support members and a plurality of longitudinally-spaced loops formed of a exible thermoplastic tube extendlng transversely between and supported by said support members, said loops including upper and lower segments joined to each other at points between the ends thereof to delineate laterallyspaced sections in mutually gaseous communication.

According to a preferred form of the present invention, as applied to a garden or outdoor chair, the chair comprises a rectangular seat frame and a rectangular backrest frame formed of a tubular metal such as aluminum, the parallel side arms of the frames defining the support members. A thermoplastic tube is wound as a flat spiral about each pair of frame side arms to deiine successive loops having upper and lower segments, and a pair of transversely-spaced thermoplastic bands are positioned between the loop upper and lower legs and heat-sealed thereto. The tube upper and lower walls are heat-sealed to each other in the area of the bands and at spaced points to delineate passageways affording communication between the tube sections on opposite sides of the sealed areas and along the length thereof.

The improved web is easily produced and assembled and is a rugged and attractive structure. The web provides optimum give by reason of the intercommunication between the tube sections on opposite sides of the securing bands and results in maximum comfort.

Brief description of the drawing I ferred embodiment of the present invention in the form of a chair; reference numeral 10` lgenerally designates the improved chair which comprises a pair of inverted substantially U-shaped tubular metal side members 11, each including an arm-rest-defining upper cross piece 12 and downwardly diverging depending front and rear legs 13 and 14 respectively. The lower sections of front legs 13 are suitably joined by a horizontal reinforcing connecting rod 16 and the lower sections of the rear legs 14 are suitably joined by a horizontal reinforcing connecting rod 17.

A horizontal seat frame 18 is supported by side members 11 below cross pieces 12 and comprises a U-shaped member including a forwardly convex tubular cross piece 19 terminating in parallel rearwardly directed web supporting legs '20 suitably secured to the inside faces of side member legs 13 and 14. The rear sections of seat legs 20 are joined by a tubular cross leg 21. An inverted U-shaped backrest frame 22 includes a horizontal tubular top cross piece 23 terminating in depending web-supporting side legs 24 suitably secured to side member rear legs 14.

Seat frame 18 supports a seat web 26 which is formed of a tube 27, preferably a single unitary length of a flexible, pliable, thermoplastic synthetic organic polymeric resin, for example, polyvinyl chloride, saran, and the like. Tube 27 extends as a flat spiral about frame legs 20 from a point shortly rearwardly of front cross leg 19 to a point shortly forward of rear cross leg 21. Each convolution of tube 27 in its unllattened condition between frame legs 20 is longitudinal spaced from the next successive convolution and includes an Yupper vsegment 28 and a lower seg- Y,

ment 29. The end sections 30 of the tube convolutions as they extend about the outerfaces of the frame legs 20 are flattened except for their outerv longitudinal edges 32 which are rounded and contiguous with the rounded edges 32 of the tube 27 along adjacent convolutions.

A pair of symmetrically-disposed longitudinally-extending transversely-spaced bands 33 are positioned between and spaced from the frame legs 20 and are disposed between the upper and lower tube segments 28and 29.' Bands 33 are formed of a synthetic organic thermoplastic polymeric resin compa-tible with and preferably similar to that of tube 27.

Sections 34, where tube 27 extends across the faces of the bands 33, are partially flattened and spread to bring they edges thereof adjacent convolutions into contiguous relationship. The upper and lower -tube walls of each section 34 are integrally united by heat-sealing along transverselyspaced elongated areas 36, spaced from the outer edges of the sections 34. These sections 34 are traversed by longitudinally-extending side passageways 37 delineated by the edges of the tube sections 34 andthe heat-sealed areas 36 and medial passageways 38 delineated by pairs of opposite heat-sealed areas 36. Passageways 37 and 38 provide free gaseous communication -between and through all sections of tube 27 on the opposite side of the respective tube sections 34. The walls of the upper tube sections 28 contiguous with the upper faces of the bands 33 are united thereto by heat-sealing inV areas coinciding with the respective heat-sealed areas 36, and the walls of the lower tube sections 29 contiguous with the lower faces of bands 33 are likewise united thereto by heat-sealing in areas coinciding with respect heat-sealed areas 36. The lengths of the heat-sealed areas are approximately equal to the width of a band 33. The ends of the helical tube 27 may be advantageously united with a band 33 by heat-sealing along areas corresponding to areas 36, or may be otherwise terminated.

A backrest defining web 39 is of a construction similar to the seat web 26 and is associated with the backrest frame legs 24 in the same manner that seat web 26 is associated with seat frame legs 20.

The seat and backrest webs 26 and 39 are soft and comfortable and readily and easily conform to the shape of the occupant of the chair. The gaseous communication afforded between successive sections of the tube 27 through the passageways 37 and 38 significantly desirably contribute to the character of webs 26 and 39 and it is important to note that passageways 37 and 38 are open even under the normal loading conditions lof the webs by reason of the united areas 36 which impart configurations 4 anddimensions to these passageways which inhibittheir collapse.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made wtihout departing from the spirit thereof.

Whatis claimediszrv -Y 1. A support vweb comprising a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extendingsubstantiallyy parallel support members, a flexible thermoplastic tube extending between and spirally wound about said'support members into convolutions defining successive loops having upper and lower segments, and a longitudinal flexible thermoplastic band positioned between the upper and lower segments of said loop, said upper and lower loop segments being heatsealed to said band and the upper and'lower walls of said tube' being heat-sealed to each other at areas substantially coinciding with the areas of sealing of said tube and said band, said tube walls being sealed to ea'ch other only in areas along a portion of the width of said tube to provide ga's passageways between the loop sections on opposite sides of said sealed areas.

2. The support web of claim 1 including a`plurality of said longitudinal flexible thermoplastic bands, said bands being substantially` parallel and transversely spaced between said support `members and between said loop upper and lower segments, said upper and lower loop segments being heat-sealed to the resective upper and lower faces of corresponding bands.

3. The support web of claim liwherein said heat-sealed areas extend for substantially Athe width of said bands.

4. The supportweb of claim 1, wherein said tube is substantially flat about the faces of said support members and the edges of successive convolutions of said tube about said face's are substantially contiguous.

5. The support web of claim 1, wherein the confronting edges of successive convolutions of said tube in the areas of said bands are substantially contiguous.

y References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,457,343 12/ 1948 Braunschweiger 160-371 3,021,176 Y 2/1962 Eads et al. 297-452 3,226,285 12/1'965 Iovenko 1 160-135 X 3,231,008 1/1966 Seckel 160-371 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner PHILIP C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. -371 

